Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has accused former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili of encouraging Governor Siminalayi Fubara to disregard President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
Wike expressed frustration over the collapse of a peace agreement signed in 2023 between his camp and Fubara’s.
The eight-point agreement, which aimed to end their political feud, was mediated by President Tinubu and prominent stakeholders, including Odili, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Despite this effort, the truce has fallen apart, with Wike attributing its failure to Odili’s alleged interference.
Odili, in a recent public statement, had praised Fubara for resisting Wike’s alleged attempts to dominate the state politically.
“It has now been over 12 months since the 25th of October 2023, when a fierce existential fight, though unnecessary, was waged against Governor Fubara over the soul of Rivers State.
“With assuring fortitude, Governor Fubara confronted the challenge, prevented the quest by one man to capture the state as a private estate, emancipated Rivers people, steadied governance, and made civil servants and Rivers people happier, as it used to be until I left office in 2007,” Odili said.
Firing back, Wike dismissed these claims, stating, “I am trying to make Rivers State the medical hub of South-South Nigeria. How did I now come to convert Rivers State into a personal estate?” Wike questioned.
“I am the best governor that Rivers State has ever produced. How did I convert Rivers State into my personal estate? And people will not answer a simple question?”
“He (Odili) said somebody is converting Rivers State to his personal estate and we have now come to show statistics that it is not correct. The man who is converting Rivers State to a personal estate is you, and to crown it all, you are now the general overseer.
“They said Tinubu should be careful, but Tinubu is not like you. Tinubu called Rivers people, your elder statesman (Odili), supposedly. You are Tinubu’s colleague, the President’s colleague, and Mr President read this thing (peace agreement) to them, and you read it and came back home.
“Ordinarily, what you (Odili) should have done was to call Mr President back and say, ‘Mr President, I have tried, we have implemented A, B, C, D, E, it remains F, G, H. Is there any way we can meet again to reconcile these F, G, H?’ Never, rather you encouraged him (Fubara) to disobey everything Mr President said,” Wike said.
The FCT minister also said that he deliberately worked against the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s former chairman, Uche Secondus.
Wike said, “When I said Secondus, you will not be chairman again, yes, I did it. In 2023, they said Atiku was coming, I said where? There was nothing I was not offered. I told PDP I would not support Atiku because I am not a second-class citizen. I must support the South to produce a President. Even though I know their offer was wayo (fake).”
The minister also emphasised his unbroken record of electoral victories, saying, “I ran for the local government election in 1999, and up until today, I have never lost an election, and nobody I have supported has lost. I have no regret in supporting Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Wherever you are, pray for Mr President. We will continue to support him. It will be better this year. Mr President is taking tough decisions but for the interest of the country.”
